What Goes Around Comes Around

h/t Poor and Stupid

Some Really Dumb Stuff About Me

I don’t understand Twitter. I know what it is, and I know you can “follow” people on Twitter, but I don’t see the point. You “tweet” your random thoughts, and people read them. Isn’t that what stalking is?

I have a cell phone, but it is never on, and I only use it about once a month. Usually if I really need it the battery is dead. Sometimes people call me and leave a message, but I don’t check the messages and they are at least a month old by the time I listen to them. I also don’t know how to tell when the message was sent. It makes it think most things aren’t that important to really need a cell phone.

Both my mother and my brother had mastectomies. I go for an ultrasound next week because they saw some funky thing on my mammogram. Meh.

I don’t understand Facebook and Myspace. Every one I’ve ever seen has just had a bunch of dumb pictures on it. It seems stupid. Since both of them are so popular, I must be really missing a big part of the attraction. It makes me feel a little old.

I don’t know how to play a DVD on our own DVD player. Chainsaw always has to set it up, lest I screw up his welfare stereo system by “God forbid !” touching some knob that shouldn’t be touched.

The “check engine” light on my car has been on for over five years.

I dance like a white chick. The only two dances I can do well are The Chicken Dance and The Hokey Pokey.

My biggest fear in life is being old and alone and out on the streets with no where to go.

My favorite shirt says “Sick Bitch” on it.

I occasionally refresh my natural hair color with L’Oreal #273.

I can’t make a good loaf of bread to save my life. Someone once told me that stew is an art, bread is a science. I guess I’m more of an artist than a scientist.

We once traveled 300 miles in one day on the motorcycle, through thick and thin and rain and hail and traffic and critters. We did the whole trip safely, only to almost down the bike on a few bits of gravel in a Piggly Wiggly parking lot.

I really don’t understand what people mean when they refer to a “meme”. Yes, I Googled it. I still don't get it.

My favorite songs to listen to while riding are: She’s Got the Jack (AC/DC), Simple Man (Lynkyrd Skynrd), Portrait (Kansas), and Love Shack (B-52’s). I also love Frank Sinatra.

I used to play the piano, and was pretty good at it. I don’t any more and keep telling myself to get back into it. I fear I never will.

We camp alot. I'd much rather camp than stay in a hotel. Even though I'm a geek and am usually wired 24/7, I never miss being away from it. No withdrawal symptoms whatsoever.

I am the oldest of five. I still call the youngest “My Baby Bro”. I think my Dad is the most honorable, hard-working, sensitive, intelligent, and all around grooviest guy I will ever know. When I was growing up, I thought he was Archie Bunker. Now I think he's a damn liberal.

I miss my Mom. After she died, some semi-psychic chick told me that my phone would ring one day and it would be her trying to call me to tell me something. I’m still waiting.

Heh. One of those nights. Thank you for your indulgence.

We Should Have Listened (I Fear It's Too Late)

HBO Movie: Taking Chance

Watch it.

If you don't have HBO, find someone who does.

If that isn't workable, the DVD is coming out in May for about $20.00.

Buy it.

I still can't get it out of my mind. It is a true story.

Some background here.

Renters of the World Unite !

Lifted from CNBC where Rick Santelli is gaining a huge fan club !

Obama Sez: I'm Groovy With Gitmo

Heh.

A Pentagon review of conditions in the Guantanamo Bay military prison has concluded that the treatment of detainees meets the requirements of the Geneva Convention but that prisoners in the highest-security camps should be allowed more religious and social interaction with each other, according to a government official who has read the 85-page document. The report, which was ordered by President Obama, was prepared by Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, the vice chief of naval operations, and has been delivered to the White House. Obama requested the review as part of an executive order on the planned closure of the prison at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. naval base on the southeastern tip of Cuba… Walsh concluded that … force-feeding, which involves strapping prisoners to feeding chairs and forcing tubes down one nostril and into their stomachs, is in compliance the Geneva Convention’s mandate that the lives of prisoners must be preserved, the government official said.

Good backup for that whole renditions program.

Hope. Change. Well, maybe not so much change.

A Billion Here, A Billion There

Title II of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allows for:

Bureau of the Census For an additional amount for “Periodic Censuses and Programs”, $1,000,000,000

For those of you who have trouble as I do with all those zeroes, that is one billion dollars.

In April of last year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) admitted that the Census Bureau had horribly mismanaged their funding to the tune of billions (with an s) of taxpayer dollars:

Now Census Bureau says, "nevermind," we are not going to use these handheld devices because of technical problems and cost overruns. Instead, the canvassers will go back to the old method of paper-and-pencils. Most people might think that by eliminating the expensive technology the Census Bureau might save money. However, by scrapping the handheld devices the census will actually cost an additional $3 billion dollars, with the total bill for the American taxpayer at almost $15 billion. That will make the 2010 Census the most expensive census in history - more than three times the total cost of the 2000 Census.

I told you about it almost a year ago.

So after squandering billions, we’re throwing in another billion. Nice job, Congress.

Now, Mike Mahaffie has extolled the absolute grooviness of the hand-held technology the Census Bureau is allegedly going to be using, but I ask: at what cost? And I guarantee you these gazillion-dollar gadgets will not be used extensively. They are just not ready. The whole project was mismanaged from the beginning and a couple of feel-good touchy-feely demos to the public cannot overcome the fact that people in the field simply cannot figure the dang things out.

And how, exactly…..I mean exactly is this supposed to stimulate the economy? Why is this in this bill?

WTF is going on here? Where is the accountability?

Hopefully....

Duffy will be back soon......

The Forgotten Ones

With all the talk of the economic so-called “stimulus bill”, the bailout (again) of U.S. automakers, and the recently ballyhooed foreclosure “plan”, there seems to be there is a large group of people that are being ignored. I call them The Forgotten Ones.

Here are the stores of three of those people.

Sandy:

Sandy works in my building and we often chat while grabbing a smoke back in the alley behind Suburban Station building. She is African-American, mid-forties, married with a five-year-old son, and a homeowner. She has worked for the same company (which is some kind of media concern) for over 20 years. Her husband works for an insurance company. She is worried.

There were layoffs recently at her company, three from her department. She has diabetes, and her biggest concern is loss of medical coverage. She told me though, that years ago when she and her husband bought their house that they definitely could have afforded a larger one, but she considered the possibility of either her or her husband losing their job for whatever reason, so they scaled down their purchase for something reasonable. A few years later her husband was laid off for awhile and she said that they struggled, but somehow managed. If they had gone for a bigger house they would have lost it for sure.

So, Sandy and her husband and their young family are making it, but they aren’t on any list for a bailout or really much “help” at all, and they don’t want any. They just wonder why people who were not so responsible and never really made much of an effort are getting the royal treatment while they, hard working people who have been through tough times but stuck it out, just keep on muddling through.

Sam:

Sam is an internet friend and a fellow rider. She is white, I guess in her late forties, and worked as an engineer for 28 years. Last year she not only lost her life partner, but also encountered some serious medical problems which resulted in some major surgeries. In November of last year she was laid off, just in time for Christmas.

Though Sam is still struggling emotionally through all that has happened to her over the last year, she’s not sitting around moping about it. Her skills are very specialized, and she has set up a website to try to start her own consulting firm. In about a month she will be moving from Florida back to her home in New England so that she can be around the emotional support of family and friends.

Sam’s not on the list for any bailout, either. Nor does she expect to be. She’s hustling for a job, trying to set up her own gig, and also realizes that she needs the best environment to heal her body and soul. Good on her. I’m sure she’s worried too, but she’s not looking for any handout. She’s probably just wondering why her hard-earned tax dollars are bailing everybody else out and why her daughter will be paying the bill for years to come.

Jeff:

Jeff writes the blog Alphecca. He is a white gay man in his mid-50’s living in Vermont. He’s a self-described “gun nut”, and works as a car salesman. With car sales going down the toilet, he is falling on tough times. His salary is commission-based, so you can imagine how that is going. He rents, as he realized that he couldn’t afford a house. Geez, if only others had come to the same reasonable conclusion.

Jeff didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t acquire a huge mortgage or make stupid investments. He is just a regular stiff trying to make it. He isn’t on any bailout list either (but any bloggers out there who happen to have some extra cash are encouraged to help him pay his rent).



I consider Sandy, Sam and Jeff to be people who have made this country and our economy strong. They are what I would call “salt of the earth” people who lived within their means, never asking for much except to have a peaceful and reasonably comfortable existence and to build their families and their networks of friends with as little grief as possible.

Sandy, Sam and Jeff are The Forgotten Ones. Each of them is an example of what makes this country great.

Each of them are being royally screwed by a government which refuses to recognize where its own strength comes from, trying instead to punish them by making them pay for the laziness and misdeeds of others.

I fear for Sandy, Sam, Jeff, and others. There is a bit of John Galt in all of them, and when they start laying down for not being able to take it any more, then this country is in even bigger trouble than it is now. For when you start beating down the country's very soul something happens: they eventually give up because they're tired of being beat on. They stop producing. They stop creating. They stop buying. They stop dreaming.

The demise of our republic will be through the gradual atrophy of the spirits of people like Sandy, Sam, and Jeff.

And me.

And perhaps you.

Raaaaaacist !

The Reverend Al Sharpton and others are in a tither about a New York Times editorial cartoon suggesting that a bunch of chimpanzees wrote the “stimulus” bill.

Raaaaaaacist, they cry !

But they seem to forget this.

And this.

Oh, and this.

Or how about this?

Methinks the thin-skinned apologists are suffering through a bad case of white guilt. They don't have Bush to bash anymore and need a place to vent.

Presidents and their policies will be criticized. It's part of the game. Get over it, and get used to it and stop your whining.

Stupid Shit That Doesn't Work

Definitely NOT safe for work or kids under 16, but this is so damn true you will laugh your ass off:

Delaware's Big Fat Losers !

Be sure to check out the newest addition to the blogroll: Delaware's Big Fat Losers.

Intrepid Delaware bloggers Brian and Mike are baring their souls (and we can only pray that is all that they bare) to the world in their quest to lose weight. And it's all for a great cause: Delaware Food Bank.

They share their personal stories (here's Mike and here's Brian), a catchy workout video, and recipes. All are welcome to join ! Got a few extra pounds to lose?

We’re looking for other fatties or anyone who’s interested in losing some weight for a good cause. We’ll have more on that soon, but please contact us at delawaresbigfatlosers -at- -gmail- -dot- -com- if you’d like to join in our weight loss extravaganza.

Who knows, maybe you might be motivated to make some changes in your own lifestyle !

Check out their progress on Delaware's Big Fat Losers ! Chide them, humuliate them, do what you will, but be sure to check it out.

Chico’s Crows Nest

It has happened to all of us. Admit it, you’ve been there.

You are partying it up, having a great time hitting all the honkey-tonks on the 13-40 split. The drinks are flying, the girls are willing. You fall in love.

The next thing you know, you wake up in the morning with Sheila tattooed on your ass.

Fear not, intrepid miscreants !

Chico’s Crows Nest Tattoo has the perfect cover-up for your night of manic misdeeds.

Located at the intersection of Marsh and Grubb Roads, Chico’s Crows Nest is soon to celebrate its two-year anniversary. Chico can do anything, even take your favorite photograph and make it a portrait to remember ! Take the whirlwind tour through his studio !

And don’t forget to sign the guestbook. Tell him Shirley sent you.

Now, I know Chico somewhat and he’s an awesome dude and an all-around good guy. This shop is his dream, and he is doing what he loves. It got me to thinking.

It got me to thinking about the absolute awesomeness of small businesses. Chico has operating expenses: licenses, rent, you know the drill. He also has all sorts of goodies to promote his shop: t-shirts, key rings, even condoms ! He pays for all of this stuff which goes to other businesses who in turn employ people who in turn buy stuff from other businesses because they are employed.

Trickle down, you say? Nawwww…it’s more like “trickle around”. Businesses like Chico’s Crows Nest are what make this country rock and roll. We don’t need no stimulus. We need an environment where business can grow.

Want me to prove it ? I will.

Take a look at my Delaware Blogroll. I hereby pledge to contribute $20.00 towards the tattoo of any Delaware blogger who isn’t a pussy and gets a tattoo at Chico’s Crows Nest. And I’ll be there to watch you get it. That is $20.00 per blog, not per blogger for those who do group blogging so ya understand. It doesn’t have to be the blogger him or herself…could be your daughter, wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever.

Twenty bucks per blogtitle. You make your deal with Chico, and I cover $20. That’s my pledge.

Maybe Leo would like a little Italy along the calf. A pizza for Brian? A windmill for kavips and tommy? An altar for Hube? The Bill of Rights for Tyler? A sign-in sheet for Nancy? The Food Network logo for Mike? A chill-pill for Dave? Now, Dana, you know you want one. Hey, Howard, you are in it too my friend, as is Elbert. Check the blogroll. See if you're there.

C'mon Allan Loudell and Rick Jensen of WDEL Radio...you'all are on the Delaware blogroll. The offer stands !

I could be down for some major bucks if some of you pussified, gin-and-tonic-drinking wussies can get on it.

Support your local businesses. Get a tattoo at Chico’s. And if you take me up on my offer, Chainsaw and I will be there to hold your hand.

The New Transparency

Hope and change (0:36):



And I hear that on the Senate side, Senator Sphincter Specter voted "AYE".

Friday the 13th - How Appropriate

Take THAT taxpayers !

totally lifted from Ace of Spades HQ

Disgruntled Obama Supporter Starts Anti-Stimulus Campaign

Fred Tausch, a New Hampshire businessman voted for Barack Obama and even contributed $2,300 to his campaign. Now he has a bit of buyer’s remorse:

“There was not a lot of fiscal discipline in either party, and I thought that when Obama talked about change, he was including that he would be more cautious about how we spend money. And that's just not the case."

Mr. Tausch ponied up $100,000 of his own money to launch a website and action center called STEWARD: Stimulate The Economy Without Accumulating Record Debt.

He has also recorded a radio ad and written an opinion piece which states in part:

The measures passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate fail to address the urgent need for immediate small business job creation and economic relief for families. Like the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) of only a few short months ago, the stimulus plan comes heavy with promises but light on meaningful reform; repeating the mistake of throwing hundreds of billions of dollars at a problem without even the pretense of systemic reform. Just like TARP, the stimulus bill looks more like a bailout; not of big banks, but of irresponsible states. The stimulus bill contains over $200 billion for state and local governments. The politicians tell us this bailout will prevent state governments from having to raise taxes to make up for their shortfalls. Really? Who’s going to pay the taxes to finance the new government spending in the stimulus plan? The same hardworking families who would have to pay for the state shortfalls! New government spending—whether at the federal, state or local levels—is paid for by taxpayers. Period. What’s worse, because the states in the worst shape will get a disproportionate share of the $200 billion, the bailout to the state governments will actually penalize those governors and state legislatures that have managed their budgets prudently and reward those who have mismanaged their finances. Why should New Hampshire taxpayers pay for California’s irresponsible borrow-tax-and-spend budgeting?

Read the whole thing.

This is yet another example of someone who is scratching their head over who exactly they voted for. In the case of Mr. Tausch, he is putting his money where his mouth is and is making a real effort to engage citizens in debate and prompt them to action.

Is it too late to motivate the sheeple away from the temptation of a “savior-based economy”? I for one am optimistic, but once we have sidled up comfortably to the government trough it will become more and more difficult to wean ourselves away from it.

If you care about our country and our economy, do something now. Write a letter or make a call to your Congressman opposing this porkfest. Educate yourself, and maybe even actually read the legislation if you dare. The more you know, the more you will be able to see through the flowery speeches and talk show punditry and decide for yourself the merits or lack thereof in each section. Go to STEWARD and join the discussion.

Do something.

The Stimulus Bill is Already Creating Jobs !

Of course, they are government jobs:

A new state office will coordinate how to spend money allocated to Rhode Island in the federal stimulus package being negotiated by Congress. Gov. Don Carcieri signed an executive order Tuesday creating the state Office of Economic Recovery and Reinvestment. Carcieri’s deputy chief of staff, Beverly Najarian, will head the office. It will have three or four other staffers.

Believe me folks, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The creation of the government uber-class is upon us.

Government Sponsors Puppy Porn in California

The city of Berkley, California has recently completed a lovely pedestrian bridge over Interstate 80. While the project itself was probably needed, I’m not sure if this was:

Artist Scott Donahue of Emeryville, Calif., was paid $196,000 by Berkeley's public arts program to create two large statues, which feature small, artistic medallions that show dogs doing what dogs do best. "Various things," Donahue said. "Biting each other, chasing each other…. One dog is defecating, two dogs are fornicating."

The spending was authorized by the ironically-named Office of Economic Development.

I’m not against a little artistic flair to public projects. I don’t actually even care about a little pooch porn as long as it is consistent with community standards (and since this is Berkley I imagine it does). But considering the awful state of California’s economy, where even state tax refund are being sent in the form of IOUs to the taxpayers, isn’t $196,000 a bit outlandish and couldn’t this money have been put to better use?

As the money the government borrows for the porkulus bill starts oozing out of the treasury into so-called “infrastructure” projects we are going to hear more and more of these horror stories on an increasingly grander scale. If I could have confidence that the monies would be used judiciously and efficiently, I wouldn’t have a problem with most infrastructure projects.

But I know how government works. You can cull millions of examples every day from news stories around the country. They will get even worse as anxious and greedy politicrats get their hands on the cash.

And this is what our children and grandchildren will be paying for. I doubt if they will remember us fondly.

Win Your Own Personal Bailout !

For real !

You can win over $28,000 of your own personal bailout money by going HERE !

Progressive Blogger Wonders When “Change” Will Begin

Dissenting Justice asks:

What happened today? Elena Kagan, Dean of Harvard Law School and nominee for Solicitor General, announced that she believes that the government has the authority to detain indefinitely terrorism suspects because the country is "at war" with Al Qaeda. Because I am busy finishing edits on a law review article, can someone please explain to me how this differs from Bush's position, which liberals condemned, bashed and burned in effigy?

Sounds like somebody has some ‘splainin’ to do, indeed.

Geithner Spoke: First They Laughed, Then They Cried

This is true bipartisanship. The insane laughter:

Administration officials were greeted with sarcasm and laughter Monday night when they briefed lawmakers and congressional staff on Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's new financial-sector bailout project, according to people who were in the room. The laughter was at its height when Obama officials explained that the White House planned to guarantee a wide swath of toxic assets -- which they referred to as "legacy assets" -- but wouldn't be asking Congress for money. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), a bailout opponent in the fall, asked the officials to give Congress the total dollar figure for which they were on the hook. The officials said that they couldn't provide a number, a response met by chuckling that was bipartisan, but tilted toward the GOP side. By guaranteeing the assets, Geithner hopes he can persuade the private sector to purchase a portion of them.

As for the crying? Anyone who has ever held a job for any length of time is stocking up on their red-beans-and-rice right now:

US stocks fell sharply Tuesday in a broad-based decline as the government announced details of its latest bailout plan. Some market watchers remain skeptical over the benefits of the plan and legendary investor Jim Rogers told CNBC it could even make things worse. The bailout will plunge the US further into debt and it is designed by the same people who failed to forecast the crisis in the first place.

I’m feeling ill. I have a feeling I'll be working 'till I'm 90 at the 13-40 split cleaning rooms at some no-tell motel.

Meh, at least I'll be working. I imagine those toilets could be right nasty, though.

What Next? No Thongs in Myrtle Beach?

WTF:

The Myrtle Beach city council will vote Tuesday on whether to strengthen its 16-year-old Thong Ordinance to do away with its warning-first provision, The Myrtle Beach Sun News reports. Under the proposal, police officers would have a choice of issuing a warning, handing out a ticket or even making an arrest on the first offense of indecent exposure, the newspaper says. The South Carolina vacation spot, which is one of the few cities to specifically ban thongs, currently requires a police officer to issue a warning before taking further action. City spokesman Mark Kruea tells the newspaper that bare behinds, semi-bare breasts and other borderline public nudity are fairly common during the area's May motorcycle rallies, but says the proposed tougher rules are not aimed specifically at the events. "We certainly have some issues with unclothedness during the rallies," he says. "But it crops up from time to time on the beach in the summertime, too."

What the heck kind of word is unclothedness? Myrtle Beach seems to be legislating its way into oblivion. We've know for a while that Myrtle Beach sucks: first it was the blacks, then the bikers. Who next, the golfers? Then there will be hell to pay, I'm sure !

Pelosi Failed

The popular vote in the general election was 53% - 46%. Not exactly a mandate. And for those who voted on either side, I imagine that the vast majority of them did not agree totally with their particular party. Some held their noses. Some just said, "What-EVAH".

Apparently, Nancy Pelosi is not a fan of compromise or even consultation with the 46% of the American public who may have issues with a progressive liberal agenda. I've worked with people like her. They are destructive.

Apparently, some of her minions agree:

Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C) has further ingratiated himself with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — not — by declaring that Pelosi and Harry Reid "failed" the bipartisanship test on stimulus. "In order for us to get the confidence of America, it has to be done in a bipartisan way," Shuler said in Raleigh following an economic forum, according to the AP. "We have to have everyone — Democrats and Republicans standing on the stage with the administration — saying, 'We got something done that was efficient, stimulative and timely.'" Here's the kicker: "I truly feel that's where maybe House leadership and Senate leadership have really failed."

Egad, Heath, you better hide for the hills ! I hope the party in power has the sense to get rid of this bitch so we can move on.

Hube: New And Improved !

I like to either start or end my day with a dose of Hube at Colossus of Rhodey, but it was getting tiring having to open Firefox. Ya see, Colossus just wasn't compatible with IE7.

Yeah, I know I'm lazy. But having to close my default IE7, open Firefox, yadda yadda it was getting real old.

Well, I got up the gumption to relentlessly badger send a polite e-mail to Hube sayin', "Dude, you gotta do something about this."

Apparently Hube tinkered away with his code and now Colossus of Rhodey displays just fine in IE7.

So, be sure to check out the new and improved Colossus of Rhodey.

Thanks, Hube ! The next round is on us !

CBO Says the Stimulus Package Will Hurt The Economy

Totally lifted from Ace of Spades:

President Obama's economic recovery package will actually hurt the economy more in the long run than if he were to do nothing, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. CBO, the official scorekeepers for legislation, said the House and Senate bills will help in the short term but result in so much government debt that within a few years they would crowd out private investment, actually leading to a lower Gross Domestic Product over the next 10 years than if the government had done nothing. CBO estimates that by 2019 the Senate legislation would reduce GDP by 0.1 percent to 0.3 percent on net. [The House bill] would have similar long-run effects, CBO said in a letter to Sen. Judd Gregg, New Hampshire Republican, who was tapped by Mr. Obama on Tuesday to be Commerce Secretary.

Source HERE.

Deutsche Bank Says: Wir brauchen keine stinkenden Ihr Geld !

That's what Josef is really saying here:

Germany's biggest lender, Deutsche Bank, on Thursday posted its first annual loss since World War II after a terrible fourth quarter but said it would survive the global meltdown without state aid. Chairman Josef Ackermann said the bank did not require government assistance and would pull out of the financial crisis on its own.

On its own?

John Galt Leben !

The TARP Song

"I know why they call it Fannie cuz our heads are up our ass."

Shit-kickin' music.



h/t Blue Collar Muse

Barney Is Going To Keep On Trying Until He Gets It Right

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 became law on July 30th, 2008.

Sponsored by Nancy Pelosi, it was co-sponsored by the usual suspects of Rangel, Dingal, and Waxman (among others, including Rahm Emanuel). Our friend Barney Frank put out a big push to get the bill passed.

Title IV of the legislation establishes the “Hope for Homeowners Act of 2008”, which establishes the Hope for Homeowners Program under the FHA. Democrats had high hopes for the plan, stating that it could help as many as 2 million homeowners avoid foreclosure (later downgraded to 400,000).

Under the program envisioned by Frank and Dodd, a distressed homeowner could contact an FHA-approved lender for assistance. The new lender would determine how much the house is worth and how much the homeowner could reasonably afford to pay. The existing mortgage holder would then be asked to accept the lower amount, which would be paid in cash by the new lender. The mortgage would in turn be insured by the FHA.

But alas, since the program came into being on October 1st, Barney says he needs to go back to the drawing board:

Launched on October 1, the Hope for Homeowners program created a $300 billion fund under the Federal Housing Administration to help over-burdened homeowners switch into more affordable mortgages. But as of Monday, only 451 applications had been submitted to the FHA for participation in the program and only 25 loans had been closed under it, said an FHA spokesman.

Frank says that he needs to “tweak the program”.

Why?

Because it was “too tight”.

Both the Mortgage Law Network and CEOReady told us this wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t really help anyone at all (one of the provisions of the legislation is that you actually have to be able to afford your new payments).

Eligible Borrowers: Only owner-occupants who are unable to afford their mortgage payments are eligible for the program. No investors or investor properties will qualify. Homeowners must certify, under penalty of law, that they have not intentionally defaulted on their loan to qualify for the program and must have a mortgage debt to income ratio greater than 31 percent as of March 1, 2008. Lenders must document and verify borrowers’ income with the IRS.

I guess they need to ease up on the terms a bit. No harm in that, right?

Wait … isn’t that part of why we’re in this mess to begin with?

Or maybe they should try bribery (from text of Senate Amendments to HB 1 introduced 2/3/2009, submitted by Senator Dodd (D) of Connecticut who knows a bit or two about mortgages):

On page 263, between lines 10 and 11, insert the following: GENERAL PROVISIONS--HOPE FOR HOMEOWNERS AMENDMENTS ``(y) Compensation of Servicers.--To provide incentive for participation in the program under this section, each servicer of an eligible mortgage insured under this section shall be paid $1,000 for performing services associated with refinancing such mortgage, or such other amount as the Board determines is warranted. Funding for such compensation shall be provided by funds realized through the HOPE bond under subsection (w).

Yeah, bribery might work. Pay the banks to take on risky debt. Sounds kind of familiar.

And these people are in charge of "fixing" the economy?

I think they've done enough meddling.

Putting One Trillion Dollars Into Perspective

Heh.

"…….if you started the day Jesus Christ was born and spent $1 million every day since then, you still wouldn’t have spent $1 trillion."

Meanwhile:

Support for the economic recovery plan working its way through Congress has fallen again this week. For the first time, a plurality of voters nationwide oppose the $800-billion-plus plan. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 37% favor the legislation, 43% are opposed, and 20% are not sure. Two weeks ago, 45% supported the plan. Last week, 42% supported it. Opposition has grown from 34% two weeks ago to 39% last week and 43% today.

h/t Ace of Spades and HotAir

Two Instances Confirming the Fact that I am Getting Old

#1:

The Mourning Constitution was kind enough to provide for us the 30-second porn segment that inadvertently ran during the Super Bowl. Whoo Hooo !

Try as he might, Chainsaw had a time getting it to load. The think the poor guy who posted it wasn’t quite prepared for the number of hits he was going to get.

By the time Chainsaw got it loaded, I was in my usual prone position on the couch watching a rerun of House. Chainsaw hollered from the next room,

“OK, it’s loading, want to come in here and watch it?”

“Naw, just tell me what happens.”

As it ran, he yelled out a description of the action.

OK, got it. That stuff.

Yawn.

#2

I thought that the recently-released movie Frost/Nixon looked it would be worth going to until I released that I had watched the interviews when they actually occurred in 1977.

Sigh.

Newsflash: Gays Are Human !

Who knew?

500 Million? There Aren't Even 500 Million People in the Entire Country !

It's no wonder the House stimulus bill is so out of whack.

Nancy Pelosi can’t count.

But as HotAir notes, we shouldn’t be too hard on the Botoxed One:

When you’re burning through cash by the trillions, it’s easy to overlook the difference between penny-ante concepts like “thousand” and “million.”

Calling Sarah Palin ! Calling Sarah Palin !

Et Tu, Macy's ?

WTF ?:

A day after Macy’s executives announced lay-offs of 7,000 workers and cut a dividend in half, top company officials received a final installment on $1.39 million in performance bonuses from 2004. Payments for stock credits and accrued dividends were as follows: Chief executive Terry J. Lundgren, $613,281; Karen Hoguet, chief financial officer, $192,742; Thomas Cole, chief adminstrative officer, $227,794; Janet Grove, vice chair, $227,794; Susan Kronick, vice chair, $227,794.

Performance bonuses? I just don't get it.

Finally ! New IRS Tax Form - 1040DEM

If you are a Democrat, you now have your own tax form ! Hooray !

h/t HotAir

Rangel Parties In Violation of House Rules While Country Burns

Citigroup received $25 billion of TARP monies back in October. They got more later. I know if somebody gave me $25 billion I’d definitely want to party. And party they did, but they took along a few friends. In the first week of November 2008 they sponsored a little trip the Caribbean, and of course what is a party without a few friends?

New York's Charles Rangel and five other Democratic members of the House enjoyed a trip to the Caribbean sponsored in part by Citigroup (see above) in November - after Congress had approved the $700 bailout for financial firms (including Citigroup). The members no doubt will object to the terms "junket," but that shoe fits. The National Legal and Policy Center, a watchdog group, has asked Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to investigate the Nov. 6-9 excursion to the island of St. Maarten. It was called the Caribbean Multi-Cultural Business Conference, but "the primary purpose ... for most participants appeared to be to take a vacation," said the NLPC. And not only was the timing lousy, but "corporate sponsorship of such an event was banned by House rules adopted on March 1, 2007, in response to the (lobbyist Jack) Abramoff scandal," the group pointed out. Joining Rangel on that trip were Donald Payne of New Jersey, Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Michigan, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Donna Christenson, delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In case you are wondering, all of these people partying it up have a big old “D” after their names.

Ironically, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick is the mother of disgraced former Detroit mayor Kwame. He was sitting in a jail cell at the time, but that didn’t mean Mom had to miss her trip !

Where is Bawney Fwanks outrage? It’s easy to rail against the mean old bankers, but what about your coworkers? Different standards?

It was nice of Citigroup to be a sponsor of this little junket.

Oh, by the way, they reported a $8.29 billion lost for the fourth quarter of 2008.

They got that trip in just in time.

My Email to Mike Castle Thanking Him for His NO Vote on the House "Stimulus Bill"

Dear Congressman Castle,

I wanted to thank you for your “No” vote on HB 1, “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009”.

This legislation (which I read in its entirety) allowed for little in the way of economic stimulation or recovery. Instead it looked more like the annual budget, providing for the expansion of various entitlements and government programs that should be dealt with under the normal appropriations process. These programs do nothing to create jobs (other than government jobs), and contribute nothing to the infrastructure or the long-term health of the economy.

I understand that people are worried and frightened. I am one of them, and am doing the best I can to cope in these difficult times. I fully support the social safety nets in place for those who are in much worse shape than I am, but as you are aware there is much in HB 1 that seems to be more of a funding program for social programs which have little to do with the simple economic survival of citizens.

From what I have seen so far, the Senate version is not much better in this regard, but the situation is unfolding and I hope that those who eschew government profligacy and rather favor a smart and targeted set of stimuli that actually set out to achieve economic goals rather than throw money at unrelated programs will somehow prevail.

I wanted to thank you for your vote on HB 1, and am confident that you will vote with your good conscience when the final version is introduced. I also know that is difficult when there are many who, having no understanding of what is actually contained in the legislation may be urging you otherwise in some misguided euphoria of a need for “change”. With such a difficult and complicated issue it is tempting to fall into the trap of warm and fuzzy feelings as opposed to reality.

Thank you.

Some Dems May Actually Get It

CNN reports that the STD research and smoking-prevention funding have been removed from the stimulus bill.

....one of the Democratic sources also admitted that “it’s hard to explain when you’re in the midst of a crisis, why these programs are important. When people are struggling and thinking about their jobs, it’s hard to make that connection.”

Interestingly, the online CNN poll today asked the question:

"Should the economic stimulus bill contain items not directly related to strengthening the economy or creating jobs?"

As of 6:08 PM today:

Yes - 10% - 18,297 votes
No - 90% - 165,534 votes

Got Milk?

Apparently, some people in England need a little extra reminder when they buy a jug of milk:

Watchdogs Versus Weasels

Check out the newly-updated website DeFlipFlop to see who supports the Eminent Domain bill (Senate Bill 7) without any diluting amendments !

The “weasels” are those who will move to “add an amendment that would gut the bill and reverse its original intent”.

We have yet to see who the weasels are that will emerge from the bowels of Legislative Hall…..

…but we’ll be watching.

The next step for Senate Bill 7 is the House Administration Committee. No meeting date has been set as yet. Keep an eye on DeFlipFlop for updates, and as always, stay involved.

As Ed Osborne states:

The fight for property rights has not been easy on me or my family but standing up for my state, country and fellow citizens has been worth every second. Nothing worth having comes without a price and, as so many who have put themselves on the line already know, freedom is NOT free! There is no amount of money that can buy our constitutional rights or retrieve them once sold! I have never been a quitter and will never give up on Delaware . NOW I NEED YOUR HELP. Please call your state representative now! YOU are the only reason I have gotten this far. Don't allow the House of Representatives to think for even an instant that this is a solitary interest and that I am the sole voice.

Get on it, folks. I did.

Quote of the Day

Heh.

“Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter. ”

-Sen. Tom Daschle, Congressional Record, May 7, 1998, p. S4507.

h/t NRO via Instapundit